Intermediary satellite network for cross-strapping and local network decongestion

ABSTRACT

A space-based electronic data transfer network system is disclosed. The space-based electronic data transfer network system connects to multiple external sources and transmits information securely within the network, enabling information to be quickly communicated between external satellites and ground stations. The space-based electronic data transfer network system is modularly expandable and additional external satellites and communications frequencies may be incorporated into the network by simply adding one or more additional satellites capable of communicating with the external satellite or communications frequency.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityto International Application No. PCT/US17/30276 titled “INTERMEDIARYSATELLITE NETWORK FOR CROSS-STRAPPING AND LOCAL NETWORK DECONGESTION”and filed Apr. 28, 2017, which claims the benefit of priority to and isa continuation of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/328,627, filedApr. 28, 2016, and titled “INTERMEDIARY SATELLITE NETWORK FORCROSS-STRAPPING AND LOCAL NETWORK DECONGESTION,” which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. Additionally, U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/111,600, filed Feb. 3, 2015 and titled “SkyCloudAutonomous Electronic Data Storage and Information Delivery NetworkSystem,” international application PCT/US16/16467, filed Feb. 3, 2016and titled “Space-Based Electronic Data Storage and Transfer NetworkSystem”, and U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No. 15/225,826, filedAug. 2, 2016, and titled “Space-Based Electronic Data Storage andTransfer Network System” are all incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The document relates generally to communication with and between orbitalsatellites. This document relates more particularly to a space-basedelectronic data transfer network system of interconnected communicationssatellites.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Modern communications rely heavily on orbital satellites, and differenttypes of communications rely on different types of orbital satellites. Asatellite achieves a stable orbit when the satellite's kinetic energybalances its potential energy. This balance occurs when the velocity ofthe satellite is balanced by the centripetal force of gravity, creatinga stable circular or elliptical orbit. The closer a satellite is to theearth, the higher the velocity necessary to balance the centripetalforce. A geostationary orbit (GEO) is an orbit that appears to maintaina fixed position relative to a point on the surface of the rotatingEarth. All geostationary satellites orbiting the Earth orbit atapproximately 42,164 kilometers (or 26,199 miles) from the center of theearth, which requires an orbital velocity of 11,068 kilometers (6,878miles) per hour.

There are upsides and downsides to different satellite orbits, andowners have to select the best orbit for each satellite's intendedactivity. Geosynchronous orbits maintain the same roughly 24 hourorbital period as the earth's rotation. Geostationary orbits are asubset of geosynchronous orbits that appear to maintain an apparentfixed position in the sky. Geostationary orbiting satellites are capableof maintaining long duration connections with a ground station due totheir apparent fixed position; however the distance from the earthintroduces lag time as any request travelling from the surface of theearth, 36,000 kilometers to a geosynchronous satellite and 36,000 kmback to the ground station. Even at the 299,792,458 meter per secondspeed of light, the minimum latency (ignoring delays within theelectronics) to receive a response from a geosynchronous satellite is onthe order of a quarter second (approximately 240 milliseconds), and thislatency is doubled if your request has to be sent from a user to the GEOsatellite to a ground station back to the GEO satellite and back to theuser. Additionally launching a geosynchronous orbit satellite can besignificantly more expensive than launching a lower orbit satellite dueto the additional energy necessary to transport hundreds or thousands ofkilograms against the force of the Earth's gravity across tens ofthousands of kilometers. The radius of a geostationary orbit causes thesatellite to travel within the Van Allen belt, exposing geostationaryand other geosynchronous satellites; by contract, the Van Allen beltactually shields lower orbiting satellites from solar and backgroundradiation.

By contract, low earth orbit (LEO) satellites appear to zoom around theearth, sometimes orbiting the earth multiple times each day. Forexample, a satellite orbiting 800 kilometers above the earth must travelfaster than 26,000 kilometers per hour to maintain orbit. A groundstation communicates with low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites during fixedwindows as the satellite traverses the sky, but because the distancebetween the satellite and the ground station is only 800 milliseconds, aground station can rapidly send inquiries and receive responses with abrief 2-3 millisecond delay. LEO satellites can also be significantlymore cost effective to place into orbit than GEO satellites, so it isrelatively easier to expand a LEO satellite network ring 200.

Due to the differences in connection window, price, and latencydifferent satellite orbits are used for different communicationpurposes. The half second communications delay makes a geostationarysatellite an ineffective node for telephone conversations or generalpurpose internet access, but that same delay is not noticeable forbroadcast services such as satellite television, satellite radio, andeven large downloads or on-demand streaming media services (e.g.,Twitch®, Youtube® or Netflix®) once the initial connection isestablished. The latency is generally attributed to a generally accepted“load time”, and users don't differentiate between satellitecommunication delays and local buffering. By contract, LEO satellitesmay be inferior to GEO satellites for some systems requiring prolonged,stable connection periods such as broadcasting.

Additionally satellites can communicate between each other, both withina single orbit (e.g., LEO or GEO) or between multiple different orbits(e.g., LEO to different elevation LEO, LEO to different orbital planeLEO, or LEO to GEO). Indeed, LEO satellites frequently communicate withGEO satellites as they pass through the GEO satellites coverage area(s).

Different satellites carry different types of communications arrays,including but not limited to infrared, radio frequency, optical laser,etc. A single satellite may include multiple different communicationsarrays including capabilities to communicate within multiple differentfrequency ranges. Common satellite communication ranges include, but arenot limited to the L-band, S-band, C-band, X-band, Ku-band, K-band,Ka-band, V-band, and W-band, all within the range of microwave frequencycommunication).

In some instances, it may be desirable to transmit information from afirst satellite to a second satellite. Traditionally, the firstsatellite would transmit to a ground station, the information would besent via ground-based communications systems (e.g., cables, antennae,towers, etc.) around the world to a second ground station capable oftransmitting that information to the second satellite. Even if the firstsatellite and second satellite are relatively close to each other,communication between the first satellite and second satellite requiredan intermediary ground station.

In other instances a satellite on one side of the world may need totransmit information to a distant location on the surface of the Earthoutside the satellite's range. Historically, the first satellite wouldcommunicate with a ground station in the first satellite's coverage areaand that communication would be transmitted via ground-basedcommunications systems to the intended recipient.

The combination of ground-based communications and ground station tosatellite communication introduces delays and potential inefficiencies.Each medium is subject to different limitations, restrictions, andlatency, so combining the two communications media subjects theinformation to both sets of drawbacks.

Because satellites are often limited to the hardware available andincluded at initial launch, there is not much opportunity to upgradesatellites once set in orbit. The ground station may upload somesoftware upgrades or navigation/logistics commands to the satellite, buthardware upgrades it is not generally feasible to update existingsatellites, especially geosynchronous satellites due to theirsignificant distance, to add functionality or communication.

Accordingly the inventors have recognized that there is a need for animproved satellite network ring 200 that adds functionality to new andexisting satellites by connecting a network of inter-connected (or“cross-strapped”) satellites capable of bridging the connection betweenother satellites and ground stations.

SUMMARY

Various aspects of a uniquely designed modular, space-basedcommunications network (“satellite network ring”) are disclosed. Thesatellite network ring is configured so that multiple ring-incorporatedsatellites within the satellite network ring are communicativelyconnected through high-speed communications arrays, and thesering-incorporated satellites can connect to other satellites or groundstations to facilitate communication between satellites, between groundstations, or between a ground station and a satellite. In one aspect,the satellite cloud network includes a plurality of intercommunicatingdata storage satellites, each configured to store data, and each capableof sending data to or retrieving data from the other data storagesatellite through a communications network (e.g., laser communication orradio frequency communication).

The satellite network ring is modular and expandable with a plurality ofinter-connected satellites of different configurations andspecifications. Instead of launching an additional geostationarysatellite or upgrading an existing satellite (while it travels in excessof 10,000 kilometers per hour through the vacuum of space), one or morering-incorporated satellites capable of communicatively connecting tothe can be launched. The newly introduced ring-incorporated satellite(s)communicate with the other ring-incorporated satellites in the satellitenetwork ring to rapidly transmit the information around the globewithout needing to pass through a ground station or ground-basedcommunications media.

Each ring-incorporated satellite within the satellite network ring maycommunicate in a different band with some ring-incorporated satellitescapable of externally communicating only with ground stations, somering-incorporated satellites capable of externally communicating onlywith geostationary satellites, some ring-incorporated satellitesproviding data storage capabilities, and even other ring-incorporatedsatellites only capable of bridging connections between otherring-incorporated satellites. Because each of these ring-incorporatedsatellites communicates within the ring, information can be rapidlytransmitted between any two points, including ground stations andsatellites outside of the satellite network ring.

In one embodiment, the satellite network ring consists of 6 or morering-incorporated satellites in a single-plane, low-earth orbitapproximately 800 kilometers above the surface of the Earth. Eachsatellite communicates with the satellite immediately in front and thesatellite immediately behind. Each satellite is capable ofretransmitting information received from a satellite on one side to thenext satellite on the opposite direction, creating a complete ring ofcommunication.

In some embodiments, the satellite network ring includes additionalsatellites, enabling each satellite to communicate with satellitesbeyond the immediately preceding or immediately followingring-incorporated satellite. A processor in one of the ring-incorporatedsatellites or on the ground may calculate an optimized path to transmitinformation from the source to the destination, which may includeminimizing retransmissions and skipping ring-incorporated satellites.For example, the optimum path may bypass multiple ring-incorporatedsatellites. In some instances, the optimized path may involve sendinginformation “the long way” around the globe due to bandwidthconstraints.

In other embodiments, the global ring network includes a plurality ofring-incorporated satellites disbursed across multiple orbital planes.Ring-incorporated satellites may communicate between the differentorbital planes to optimize transmission path.

Additionally, each satellite may communicate in a different band orserve a different purpose. Some ring-incorporated satellites may becapable of externally communicating only with ground stations, somering-incorporated satellites may be capable of externally communicatingonly with geostationary satellites, some ring-incorporated satellitesmay provide data storage capabilities, and still other ring-incorporatedsatellites may serve only to bridge connections between otherring-incorporated satellites to provide additional connections orbandwidth. Because each of these ring-incorporated satellitescommunicates within the ring, information can be rapidly transmittedbetween any two points, including ground stations and satellites outsideof the satellite network ring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an exemplary satellite network ring inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a second schematic view of an exemplary satellite network ringin accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, illustratingsome of the potential communication paths between external satellites,ring-incorporated satellites, and ground stations.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an exemplary satellite network ring inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, illustratingoptimized communication paths.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of multiple ring-incorporated satelliteswithin an exemplary satellite network ring in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating communicationmanagement regarding a single external satellite.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computer system adaptable for use withone or more embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of multiple ring-incorporated satelliteswithin an exemplary satellite network ring in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating cross-strappingcommunication between external satellites and ground stations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The features, aspects and advantages are described below with referenceto the drawings, which are intended to illustrate but not to limit theinvention. In the drawings, like reference characters denotecorresponding features consistently throughout similar embodiments.FIGS. 1-5 illustrate various aspects of an embodiment of the satellitenetwork ring. It should be understood, however, that the various aspectsand teachings therein embodied are not limited to any particular mobiledevice or case implementation.

FIGS. 1 through 3 illustrate embodiments of a space-based electronicdata transfer network system (“satellite network ring” or “SkyCloud”)200.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the satellite network ring 200depicting a plurality of ring-incorporated satellites 201, 202, 203,204, 205, 206 occupying a single orbital plane in a low-earth orbit.External satellites 101, 102 are illustrated as geosynchronouscommunications satellites. Ground stations 301, 302 on the surface ofthe Earth are depicted as located in the coverage area of externalsatellites 101, 102 respectively. The arrows depict informationtransmitted from ground station 301 along path A to external satellite101 along path B to ring-incorporated satellite 201 along path C toring-incorporated satellite 202 along path D to ring-incorporatedsatellite 203 along path E to ring-incorporated satellite 204 along pathF to external satellite 102 along path G to ground station 302. In thisembodiment, at least ring-incorporated satellites 201 and 204 arecapable of communication with external geosynchronous satellites, whilering-incorporated satellites 202 and 203 functioned as bridges betweenring-incorporated satellite 201 and ring-incorporated satellite 204.Instead of sending the communication across terrestrial cables, thecommunication travelled from one side of the Earth to the opposite sideof the Earth through entirely space-based communications.

In the present embodiment, the low-earth orbit is approximately 800kilometers above the surface of the Earth. At this radius, informationcompleting a circuit from ring-incorporated satellites 201 to 202 to 203to 204 to 205 to 206 and back to 201 travel approximately 45,000kilometers. At the speed of light, that entire circuit introducesapproximately 150 milliseconds of latency, though optimized paths wouldrarely require much more than half of a circuit or approximately 75millisecond of latency. Although the figure illustrates a satellitenetwork ring 200 consisting of 6 ring-incorporated satellites 201, 202,203, 204, 205, 206 in a single orbital plane, it should be understoodthat the satellite network ring 200 could include more or fewersatellites and those ring-incorporated satellites could occupy multipleorbital planes. Additional ring-incorporated satellites may provideadditional bandwidth, emergency back-up, alternate communication paths,data storage, and/or alternate external connection points, and/or datastorage.

While FIG. 1 illustrates communication from Ground Station 301 toExternal Satellite 101 to Ring-incorporated satellite 201, in someinstances, it may be possible or preferable to enable communicationdirectly from a ground station 301 to a ring-incorporated satellite 201and from ring-incorporated satellite 204 to ground station 302. Thepresent communication path A-B-C-D-E-F-G incorporates a distance ofapproximately 165,000 kilometers (or approximately 550 milliseconds ofdistance latency), approximately 140,000 kilometers of which is spenttravelling to or from an external satellite 101, 102. If thecommunication could travel from ground station 301 to ring-incorporatedsatellite 201 along path C to path D to path E and then fromring-incorporated satellite 204 to ground station 302, thatcommunication path could be reduced to approximately 25,000 kilometers(or approximately 85 milliseconds of distance latency).

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the satellite network ring200 including additional ground stations 303, 304 and additionalexternal satellites 103, 104. FIG. 2 also illustrates each shortestcommunication link with arrows. In the present configuration, groundstations 302, 303, and 304 are on the day side of the Earth while groundstation 301 is on the night side of the Earth. When a user in externalsatellite's 103 coverage area sends a request through a satelliteprovider, that user's request is fulfilled by ground station 303, whichtransmits the response to external satellite 103 and in turn to theuser. Satellite internet access and satellite on-demand services requirethe ground station 303 to transmit content to external satellite 103 tobe rebroadcast to users in external satellite's 103 coverage area. Inmost modern networks, communications access points have greaterdownstream bandwidth than upstream bandwidth. During high trafficperiods (e.g., daytime business hours in the present figure), thelocally requested upstream responses from ground stations 302, 303, 304to each respective external satellite 102, 103, 104 may exceed each theground stations' maximum upstream bandwidth or may experience delaysbased on traffic congestion. The satellite network ring 200 enablesproviders to decongest local upstream resources during peak traffic byoffloading non-latency sensitive traffic through the satellite networkring 200 to non-peak ground stations 301.

To reduce the upstream congestion at ground stations 302, 303, 304, thesatellite network ring 200 enables a provider to offload some upstreamtraffic by requesting non-latency sensitive requests (e.g., e-maildelivery, streaming media, broadcast media, and large downloads) fromnon-peak ground station 301 to external satellite 101 and on through thesatellite network ring 200 to then be distributed through the correctexternal satellite 102, 103, 104. Even though these non-latencysensitive requests travel significant distances, and are thereforesubject to increased latency, once the link is established and bufferingcompletes, the impacted users may be unaware of the latency; however thetotal network traffic and local latency-sensitive requests will benefitfrom the reduced local upstream traffic. Although peak and non-peaktraffic are indicated by day and night in the present example, peak andnon-peak traffic may be unrelated to time or may even be adjusted andswitched on the fly by network control based on relative traffic toimprove user satisfaction. This network decongestion also enablessatellite service providers to obtain content from lower cost providersin other regions of the world or to carry otherwise unavailable localcontent.

FIG. 3 illustrates an optimized communication path between groundstation 301 and ground station 302. Ground station 301 transmits toexternal satellite 101 along path V and external satellite 101retransmits along path W to ring-incorporated satellite 201, where thecommunication is incorporated into the satellite network ring 200.Instead of transmitting the content to the next consecutivering-incorporated satellite 202, the network management system (notshown) calculates an optimized communication path and transmits directlyto ring-incorporated satellite 204 along path X, shortening the distanceand latency. Ring-incorporated satellite 204 then transmits along path Yto external satellite 102 which completes the communication bytransmitting the communication along path Z to ground station 302.Although the present illustration travels through only 2ring-incorporated satellites, in other instances, this communicationpath might incorporate a number of communication paths. In the eventthat one or more satellites 209, 210, 211 in the satellite network ringare unavailable, (e.g., due to damage, interference, local regulations,security risks, or local traffic), the network management system candirect a communication path along an alternate route. In some instances,the alternate path bypasses the unavailable ring-incorporated satellitesby transmitting directly from ring-incorporated satellite 208 toring-incorporated satellite 212. In other instances, the alternate pathwill incorporate ring-incorporated satellites from other orbital planes(not shown). In still other instances, the alternate path will travelaround the network in the opposite direction (e.g., completing a pathfrom ring-incorporated satellite 208 to 205 to 202 to 212) to completethe transmission despite the unavailable satellites 209, 210, 211. Pathoptimization enables the system to take advantage of any allowable pathto complete a transmission and improves the durability, reliability, andspeed of the satellite network ring 200. In another embodiment, ifweather or hardware failure does not permit direct transmission from thesatellite network ring 200 to a particular ground station 301, thenetwork management system (not shown) optimizes an alternate path,connecting through an alternate ground station and completing theconnection through ground-based communications systems.

FIG. 4 illustrates how multiple ring-incorporated satellites 201, 202operate together with respect to a single external satellite 101. In thepresent illustration, external satellite 101 is a geosynchronouscommunications satellite located over ground station 301; however,external satellite 101 could be any other satellite that is not aring-incorporated satellite, such as a research satellite, a positioningsatellite, the moon, a space station, a space shuttle, a non-orbitalsatellite, or any LEO, middle earth orbit (MEO), GEO, high earth orbit(HEO), or elliptical orbital satellite. In FIG. 4, external satellite101 includes three spot beams 110, 11, 112, and ring-incorporatedsatellites 201 and 202 are each within one of external satellite's 101spot beams.

In one embodiment, ring-incorporated satellites can only receivecommunications from external satellite 101 while ring-incorporatedsatellites are inside a spot beam 110, 111, 112 of external satellite101. Because ring-incorporated satellites 201, 202 are all in constantcommunication, they can take advantage of multiple simultaneouscommunication links with external satellite 101. The network managementsystem (not shown) can simultaneously connect multiple ring-incorporatedsatellites 201, 202 to one or more external satellites 101, 102 (notshown) to achieve an increased bandwidth and transmission rate. Thesatellite network ring 200 is modular, so adding additionalring-incorporated satellites 201, 202, etc. into the satellite networkring 200 increases the total bandwidth of the system and increases theoptions for path optimization. In one embodiment, the satellite networkring always maintains two or more simultaneous communicationsconnections between 2 connected points.

In addition to aggregate communication, the constant connection withinthe satellite network ring 200 enables a first ring-incorporatedsatellite 201 to seamlessly hand off communication with an externalsatellite 101 to another ring-incorporated satellite 202 to maintain thesatellite network ring's 200 connection with external satellite 101without interruption. In one embodiment, first ring-incorporatedsatellite 201 can communicate to second ring-incorporated satellite 202when to take over communication with external satellite 101. In anotherembodiment, first ring-incorporated satellite 201 can communicate toexternal satellite 101 when to expect second ring-incorporated satellite202 to arrive within one of external satellite's 101 spot beams 112. Inanother embodiment, first ring-incorporated satellite 201 can continueits link with external satellite 101 as it passes from a first spot beam110 to a second spot beam 111 to a third spot beam 112 and so on. Inanother embodiment, a leading ring-incorporated satellite 201 cancommunicate optimization instructions for a particular spot beam 112 orexternal satellite 101 to a trailing ring-incorporated satellite 202. Instill another embodiment, first ring-incorporated satellite 201 can handoff its authentication handshake to second ring-incorporated satellite202 to minimize connection establishment time with external satellite110. Each of the disclosed optimizations between two ring-incorporatedsatellites 201, 202 could be applied to three or more ring-incorporatedsatellites.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computing system 500 adaptable for usewith one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. For example oneor more portions of computing system 500 may be employed to perform thefunctions within a ring-incorporated satellite 201, 202, etc. of FIG. 2.Processor 501 is coupled to memory 502, data storage 503, TT&C System504, power system 505, communications array 508, sensors 510, andinput/output interface 511. Power system 505 includes one or morebatteries 506 and may include a power source 507 capable of rechargingthe batteries 506. Communications adaptor 508 is connected to one ormore communications arrays 509.

One or more processors 501 are connected to persistent 503 and/ornon-persistent 502 memory and control the operation of the power system505, the communications adaptor 508 and communications array 509, andthe data storage elements (also 502). Multiple inr-incorporatedsatellites 201, 202 can pool processing power to jointly managecomputation for complicated processes. The processors 501 or the datastorage elements 503 may include encryption and/or deduplicationinstructions to protect data and to optimize storage. The processors 501may also include an authorization system to check access pointcredentials and make certain that the access point is authorized to sendor retrieve data prior to providing access to the data storage element503.

The data storage elements 503 are powered by the power system 505 andmay comprise magnetic hard drives, flash memory, 3D NAND memory, 3DXpoint, server class memory, DDR, holographic memory, other cache memorycircuits or chips, and/or DNA storage. Some ring-incorporated satellites201 may be storage satellites with a primary purpose of providing remotecloud storage. The data storage elements 503 may be speciallyconfigured, shielded, and mounted to dampen force and vibration duringlaunch, the temperature and pressure extremes in the vacuum of space,and/or radiation exposure outside of a planetary magnetic field. Amagnetic hard drive may be pressurized and sealed to enable operation ina vacuum. In some aspects, the data storage element 503 may suspendwriting to the storage element or completely power down during periodsof intense radiation to minimize damage. Any instruction or datareceived during disabled or suspended recording periods may be returnedto the originating storage satellite or directed to anotherring-incorporated satellite 203. If the instruction or data is receivedfrom a communications satellite or relay satellite 101, the instructionor data will be directed to an alternate ring-incorporated satellite forrecording. The data storage element 503 may also enter a low power oridle mode. The low power or idle mode may be beneficial to conservepower consumption, reduce heat, or disable some of the data storageelements during low traffic periods. The data storage elements 503 maybe shielded to minimize radiative interference. The data storage element503 may include the ability to flip or rewrite any corrupted bits. Datastorage elements 503 may be modular, replaceable, or expandable. Thedata storage elements 503 may redundantly store data on multiplelocations within and between storage satellites to securely back updata. In some cases an instruction received at the communications array509 from another ring-incorporated satellite 203 may bypass theprocessor 501 and go directly to the data storage element 503 to berecorded (or to a different communications array 509′ to beretransmitted).

The power source 507 may include any of a solar panel, thermalharvesting, atomic fusion, atomic fission, chemical decay, or a freeelectron gathering system) electrically coupled to one or morebatteries. In one embodiment, the power source 507 is a solar panel thatcan collect solar energy to power the ring-incorporated satellite 201and charge the batteries 506. The batteries provide back-up power whenthe satellite is shaded from the sun's rays by a planet or other body.In one aspect, the storage satellite includes robotics and electronicinstructions capable of opening and closing the solar panel or directingthe solar panel toward or away from the source of light to increase ordecrease the energy absorbed. It may be beneficial to increase energyabsorption prior to entering or just after leaving the earth's shade. Itmay additionally be beneficial to decrease energy absorption when thebattery is near full or the satellite needs to reduce thermal energy.Power source 507 may include solar panels 507′ (not shown) to absorbsolar energy or some other independent power source. In someembodiments, the satellite includes robotics and programming to optimizesolar energy absorption, including opening and closing the solar arrayand directing the absorption panels toward or away from the sun oranother source of light. The satellite's batteries 506 stores energycollected at the solar panels 507′, enabling the satellite to continuefunctioning during periods when the earth or another object blocks thesun's rays. In some embodiments, the satellite is capable of closing orangling the solar panels 507′ away from the sun when the battery ischarged above a pre-determined threshold to minimize excess heat.

The communications array 509 can include a wireless communicationssystem (e.g., laser communication link, microwave relay, or radiofrequency transmission) capable of communicating with the otherring-incorporated satellites 202, 203 in the satellite network ring 200.The ring-incorporated satellite 201 may communicate with end-users viaoptical laser communication links and/or via any approved radiofrequencies (e.g., L-band, S-band, C-band, X-band, Ku-band, K-band,Ka-band, V-band, and W-band, or any other ITU-recognized frequency)approved for use by the authorized United Nations governing body, theInternational Telecommunications Union (ITU). In one aspect eachring-incorporated satellite's 201 communications array is in constantcommunication with the communications arrays of the leading satelliteimmediately in front and the trailing satellite immediately behind. Thesatellite network ring 200 can create a continuous network, allowing anyring-incorporated satellites 201 to send data and instructions to orretrieve data and instructions from any other satellite in the network.In another aspect, each satellite is additionally capable ofcommunicating with two or more satellites ahead and two or moresatellites behind to improve network reliability and performance.Ring-incorporated satellite 201 can also communicate with othersatellites in alternate orbital planes or orbital radii. In one aspect,the communications array 509 can additionally send and retrieve data andinstructions with one or more communications satellites, and the one ormore communications satellites send and retrieve data and instructionswith the access points. As previously discussed, in some embodiment itmay be preferable for the communications array 509 can send and retrievedata and instructions directly with the ground stations 301, 302.

In some embodiments, a ring-incorporated satellite 201 includes aposition determining system (not shown), proximity detection (notshown), collision detection (not shown), temperature detection (notshown), radiation detection (not shown), a satellite telemetry, trackingand control (TT&C) transmission equipment 504 for navigationalpositioning, an input/output interface 511, and a guidance or propulsionsystem (not shown) so that the ring-incorporated satellite 201 canself-correct for orbital decay or adjust satellite spacing to optimizethe addition or subtraction of other ring-incorporated satellites 202into the satellite network ring 200.

In one embodiment, the satellite cloud network comprises a number ofstorage satellites travelling in a low-earth orbit (between 160kilometers and 2000 kilometers above the surface of the earth). Althoughorbital satellites are discussed in many embodiments, it should beobvious to one having ordinary skill in the art that a similar networkrelying on sub-orbital elements such as balloons, blimps, dirigibles,aircraft, watercraft, stationary data centers, or any combinationthereof may be incorporated into a network without departing from thepresent invention. Each storage satellite is in communication with thesatellite in front and the satellite behind it, creating a continuousloop or ring connecting each satellite in the ring. If one satellitestops working, all remaining storage satellites remain in networkcommunication by sending data through the opposite direction. Additionalor redundant satellites can also increase the flexibility andsurvivability of the network system.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the satellite network ring200 demonstrating that each ring-incorporated satellite 201, 202, 203,204, 205, 206, 207 may communicate in a different band or serve adifferent purpose. In the present embodiment, each ring-incorporatedsatellite 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207 is capable of receiving adifferent band of microwave communication (e.g., L-band, S-band, C-band,X-band, Ku-band, K-band, Ka-band, and V-band), so the satellite networkring 200 is capable of cross-strapping communications satellites withouttransmitting the signal to and from ground terminals or ground stations301, 302, 303, 304, 305 located on the surface of the Earth.Geostationary communications satellite 101 broadcasts in the Ku-band,the X-band, and the C-band. Geostationary communications satellite 102broadcasts in the Ka-band and the S-band.

Because all of the ring-incorporated satellites 201, 202, 203, 204, 205,206, 207 within satellite network ring 200 are communicatively linked, aKu-band signal intercepted by ring-incorporated satellite 202 or aC-band signal intercepted by ring-incorporated satellite 204 fromgeostationary communications satellite 101 can be sent across thesatellite network ring and transmitted to geostationary communicationssatellite 102 in a different frequency band from the frequency thesignal was received. Instead of incorporating a swarm of cross-strappingsatellites each incorporating arrays capable of communicating via all ormany of the frequency bands, the satellite network ring enablescross-strapping between satellites communicating in different microwavebands through single-band relay satellites.

In the present embodiment, X-band satellite 203 can receive the X-bandcommunication from geostationary communications satellite 101, transmitthat signal via optical laser to Ka-band satellite 205 (either directlyor through intermediary ring-incorporated C-band satellite 204). Ka-bandsatellite 205 can transmit the signal to geostationary communicationssatellite 102, which, in turn, retransmits the signal to Ka-bandterminal 305. Through the satellite network ring 200, a plurality ofrelatively cheap single-frequency (or limited frequency) band relaysatellites may be capable of cross-strapping existing satellite systemswithout relying on intermediate ground-stations, which may significantlyreduce the upstream congestion for ground stations.

Because each of these ring-incorporated satellites communicates withinthe ring, information can be rapidly transmitted between any two points,and because each individual satellite can be simply constructed, thesystem is cheaply and modularly expandable to enable communication withany existing or new satellite system. This satellite network ring 200enables providers to decongest local upstream resources during peaktraffic by offloading non-latency sensitive traffic through thesatellite network ring 200 to non-peak ground stations 301.

Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the system as described iscapable of converting a modulated signal from one frequency (e.g., RF,optical, microwave, etc.) to another frequency without de-modulating orre-modulating the signal, thereby enabling the system to quickly convertand transmit the signal without additional delays caused by processingthe signal in any way.

Although various aspects and implementations are herein disclosed in thecontext of certain preferred embodiments, implementations, and examples,it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the presentinvention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to otheralternative embodiments and/or uses of the inventive aspects and obviousmodifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while a number ofvariations of the aspects have been noted, other modifications, whichare within their scope, will be readily apparent to those of skill inthe art based upon this disclosure. It should be also understood thatthe scope this disclosure includes the various combinations orsub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodimentsdisclosed herein, such that the various features, modes ofimplementation and operation, and aspects of the disclosed subjectmatter may be combined with or substituted for one another. Thus, it isintended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed shouldnot be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments orimplementations described above, but should be determined only by a fairreading of the claims.

Similarly, this method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that any claim require more features than areexpressly recited in that claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive aspects lie in a combination of fewer than allfeatures of any single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claimsfollowing the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporatedinto this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A space-based electronic data transfer network comprising: a plurality of communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellites occupying one or more orbital planes forming at least one continuous communication loop about the Earth, wherein a first content received by a first communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite from a first geostationary communications satellite is transmitted to a second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite, wherein the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite transmits the first content to a second geostationary communications satellite to be transmitted to a ground station.
 2. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 1 wherein a second ground station in direct communication with the second geostationary communications satellite is operating at a high upstream traffic load and the plurality of communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellites redirects upstream traffic from a first ground station in direct communication with the first geostationary communications satellite, the first ground station experiencing a lower upstream traffic load than the second ground station.
 3. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 1 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the first geostationary communications satellite and the first communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite is within a different band from the frequency of the communication link between the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite and the second geostationary communications satellite.
 4. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 3 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the first geostationary communications satellite and the first communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the Ku-band.
 5. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 4 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the K-band.
 6. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 4 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the Ka-band.
 7. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 4 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the C-band.
 8. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 3 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the K-band.
 9. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 8 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the Ku-band.
 10. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 8 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the Ka-band.
 11. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 8 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the C-band.
 12. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 3 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the Ka-band.
 13. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 12 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the Ku-band.
 14. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 12 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the K-band.
 15. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 12 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the C-band.
 16. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 3 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the C-band.
 17. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 16 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the Ku-band.
 18. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 16 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the K-band.
 19. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 16 wherein the frequency of the communication link between the second geostationary communications satellite and the second communicatively linked low-earth orbit satellite falls within the Ka-band.
 20. The space-based electronic data transfer network according to claim 1 wherein the space-based electronic data transfer network is modularly expandable. 